Tom Petty died from an accidental drugs overdose

The veteran rocker had been touring with a fractured hip.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner has revealed that Tom Petty died from an accidental overdose of the drugs he was taking to combat emphysema, knee problems and, most significantly, a fractured hip.

Yesterday's toxicology report described the cause of death as: "Multi-system organ failure due to resuscitated cardiopulmonary arrest due to mixed drug toxicity."

The substances found in his system included fentanyl, oxycodone, temazepam, alprazolam, citalopram, acetylfentanyl, and despropionyl fentanyl.

In 2016, fentanyl was a factor in over 64,000 deaths in the United States - a year on year increase of 22%.

The full Medical Examiner's statement reads as follows:

Coroner Case Number 2017-07259 – PETTY, Thomas

The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner conducted an examination on the body of Thomas Earl Petty, age 66, on October 3rd, 2017.

The findings of the examination have established the cause of death to be as follows:

Having been informed beforehand of the findings, Tom Petty's wife, Dana, and daughter, Adria, released a statement explaining why he'd been in so much physical pain and welcoming the renewed discussion about the opioid crisis, which it's likely to trigger.

The Last DJ

Echo

With his blonde strands thinning noticeably and his trademark feline features becoming bloated, time appears to be taking a particularly heavy toll on the once vital Tom Petty. Performing 'Room At The Top' recently on Later with Jools Holland he looked and sounded jaded. Such is the mood on Echo his "long awaited" follow up to 1994's Wildflowers.